UFC 311: Can Islam Makhachev continue his dominance at lightweight?
Michael Bolton
The first UFC title fights of the year are on the line this weekend, with Islam Makhachev as the headline, defending his lightweight titles against Renato Moicano.
In a last minute change up, an injury to Arman Tsarukyan meant Moicano steps up on just over a days notice.
This will be Makhachev's fourth title defence, as he goes into Saturday's fight on a 14-fight winning streak.
His last win over Dustin Poirier shows how far his striking has improved, while his wrestling remains one of the best the sport has seen.
img Photo: Sofascore.[/caption]
Taking over from the dominance of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev was one of the most feared prospects in the lightweight division for years before claiming the crown at UFC 280.
Back-to-back wins followed against Alexander Volkanovski, before the win over Poirier back in June.
In Moicano, he will face an opponent who is on a roll, as he looks a completely different fighter since stepping up to 155 pounds.
For Moicano, who was preparing to fight Benil Dariush, he has been granted the opportunity of a lifetime.
Moicano's last win was over Benoit Saint Denis in Paris back in September, and will be a huge underdog in Saturday's fight.
Moicano's best attributes are his grappling, but given Makhachev's strength in this area, he will be keen to keep this on the feet.
Co-Main event
In the co-main, Merab Dvalishvili makes the first defence of his bantamweight title when he takes on Umar Nurmagomedov.
After wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili earned his shot at the title at UFC 306, where he dominated Sean O'Malley to a convincing decision win.
The cardio and wrestling of Dvalishvili has created problems for his opponents, as he will be full of energy from minute one to 25.
For Nurmagomedov, also a relation of Khabib, he is undefeated and not someone fighters were holding their hands up to fight.
Like many of the Nurmagomedovs, his strengths are in his grappling, but has shown he can strike, as shown in his win over Cory Sandhagen.
The start of this fight will be crucial. If Nurmagomedov wins the striking exchanges and can cause damage to Dvalishvili on the ground, the champion may not get the chance to win with his cardio late in the fight.
Elsewhere on the main card, two former light-heavyweight champions collide as Jiri Prochazka takes on Jamahal Hill.
Both fighters were last knocked out by current champion Alex Pereira. Hill was knocked out by the Brazilian at UFC 300, while UFC 303 saw Prochazka knocked out by a head kick in round two.
Prochazka is unpredictable, but well-rounded in his striking, constantly making his opponent guess.
Hill has some of the best striking in the division, and could have the edge on Prochazka in grappling. With Hill coming back from injury, he will be eager to remind everyone what he is capable of.
In middleweight, Kevin Holland faces Reinier De Ridder, who makes his first appearance on a UFC pay-per-view card.
In the heavyweight division, Jailton Almedia take on Sergy Spivak, in what will be a fascinatung grappling battle. A win for either fighter could set up a future bout with a top five opponent.